Towel rack



J. N, BQRROUGHS TOWEL RACK '3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aha. 17 1921 n 3 ...1 n l g W 0 Jim n. .Inilllllllllilllllllllllll B q. Tm, Na MJ m-. 5 7 au 1, w M 4 1 x f nwllwllllll l.. .IIMHWMIIM I AJ i ,i A 5. A 0/ 4 www ' 1,510,648 J, N. BoRRouGHs TOWEL RACK Filed Aug. 17 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 @a @y E?? `8,1/5

TOWEL' Jose/072 ALBorroughs.

flLL USED PLEHSE DO NOT PULL Oct. 7 1924. 1,510,648

AJ. N. BORROUGHS TQWEL RACK Filed Aug. -17. 1921 3 sheets-sheen YEL/g. 10. 11.

Jbseph M Borrmfghs.

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Patented Oct. 7, 1924.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH 1\T. BOBROUGHS, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

TOWEL RACK.

Application led August 17, 1921. Serial No. 492,964.

To all whom u may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH N. BoRRoUGHs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful VImprovements in Towel Racks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates tov an improved towel rack.

Referring to the annexed drawing, which forms a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the invention with the towel removed and the guide frame partly broken away to show .the towel backward movement lock.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the inven-i` tion with the front wall of the cabinet casing removed.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section of the invention taken on line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on line 5 5 of'Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical fragmentary sectional view of one side of the invention.

Figure 7 is a view of the towel supply roller bearing.

Figure 8 is an end view of the towel supply roller.

Figure 9 is a front view of the towel signal.

Fig. 10 is a front view of a modified form of my invention.

Figure 11 is a vertical longitudinal section of said modied form of my invention taken on line 11--11 of Figure 10.

In the drawing 1 indicates a box casing on the front of which is hinged a door 2. In one side wall 3 of said casing is a: bearing 4, in which is journaled a stud shaft 5. On said shaft is formed a tongue 6 adapted to fit in a closed end groove 7 in one end of a towel supply roller ,8, the other end of which has a journal 9 adapted to rest in an open vbearing 10 on the other side wall 11 of casing 1. A sleeve 12 surrounds one end of roller 8 and closes the ends of the groove 7 to prevent said tongue 6 from slippingout of the ends of the. groove. In bearings 13 and'14 in side walls 3 and 11 below roller 8 is journal-ed a towel take-up roller 15. On stud shaft 5 is secured a gear 16 which meshes with a gear 17 on one end of the feed roller 15, whereby the roller 15 is rotated by the roller 8. A dog 16 engages the gear 16 to prevent its backward rotation. at one side of the casing 1 which encloses the gears 16 and 17 ,the inner wall of which compartment is provided with openings 19 and 20 through which project the tongue 6 and the roller 15 respectively;

A pair of rock arms 22-22 are pivoted yat their rear' ends to the inside of casing wall 1.1 and'inside of ,gear casing 18 respectively in the forward end of which. arms are journaled the endsof a guide and pressure roller 24 which bears upon the upper rear part of the towel take-up roller 15. Springs'25 are secured to the arms 23 andto the inside of the casing 1 for holding the roller 24 against the roller 15. To the side wall 11 and to the inner wall of compartment 18 are secured brackets 27 `and 28 which project forwardly of the casing 1 through a horizontal slot 29 in the door 2, in the forward ends of which brackets is j ournaled a guideroller 30 which rests outside the door 2 when closed. j

A frame 31 is hinged to the 'outside of the door 2 below the slot 29 and roller# 30, which frame includes two vertical side) walls 32 and 33 and a front plate 34 secured'to the front edges of said walls, thewall 33 being hinged by hinges 35 tothe door 2 so that the frame may be swung parallel to the door with the inner edges of the walls 32 and 33 resting against the door. 0n the inside of the plate 34 near the upper edge thereof 4is pivoted a horizontal towel lock 35a opposite a horizontal metal strip 36 inthe front surface of the door 2. A roller 37 -is j ournaled at its ends in the lower ends of the walls 32 land 33 below the lower edge of the plate 34. A lock 38 is mounted on the wall 32 `for locking the frame 31 against the door 2.

The towel 40 is wound around the roller 8 and extends through slot 29 over vroller 30 then downwardly outside frame 31 and around roller 37 then upwardly within the frame 31 between the strip 36 and lock 35, then again through slot 29 into the casing 1 and then between take-up roller 15 and' pressure roller 24 into the bottom of the casing. Thatl portion outside the frame 31 is ,for use and when used another clean por-4 A gear compartment 18 is formed tion may be drawn ofi' the roller 8, the used portion being taken up by the take-up roller and pressure roller 24. The lock 35a engaging the towel prevents the used portion from being drawn backwardly out oi the casing.

The take-up roller 15 is geared to take up the towel faster than it .unwinds Jfrom the roller 8, but this is not possible because the spring pressure o' the roller 22 against roller 15 allows the roller to slip over the towel and permits also the user of the towel .to hold the towel so that it may be taken up at the same rate that it is unwound to bring a clean portion of the towel into position for use.

The door 2 may be opened and closed because the brackets 27 and 28, roller 30 and the outer portion ofthe'towel will. pass through the slot 29.

A flag 40 is secured to the roller 8 and the .towel 41 is secured thereto. This flag acts as a warning signal that the towel has been exhausted and must be renewed.

The object of providing a frame on the front of the casing is to insure that a suiiicient amount of the towel will be exposed ready for use and at the same time present a neat appearance by being smoothly held on the rollers and 37. Since the takeup roller 15 rotates faster than the towel roller 8 all of the towel would be drawn into the casing except the small portion extend ing around the roller 30, if it were not for the roller 37. It is therefore always exposed ready or use between the rollersA 30 and 37. lhen it is desired to use the towel the same may be pulled so as to cause a suilicient amount of slack in the towel as may be desired. After the towel has been used if the same is pulled downwardly approximately the distance between the rollers 30 and 37 all or" the slack in the same will be taken up by means of the roller 15 rotating faster than the roller 8. The towel then presents a clean appearance and the same is held smooth and fairly tight over the rollers 30 and 37.

Inv the modilied form of my invention vshown in Figures 10 and 11, the parts 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, a, 36, 37 and 38 are omitted, and the roller and a lock 51 are substituted for the roller 37 and lock 35a respectively, while a slot 52 is provided in the :front wall of the casing just belnw the roller 50 which is journaled in brackets 53 on said front wall, through which slot the towel passes from the roller 50 to the roller 15. The lock 51 comprises two hinged gripping members 54 and 55, the member 54 being hinged to the inside of the front wall of the casing while the member 55 is hinged to oneend wall of the casing and the inner wall of the gear casing by pivots 56 and 57 respectively v The lock 51 allows the used portion of the towel to be dra-wn back into the casing but prevents said portion from being drawn out of the casing.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature oit my said invention and in what manner the same is to bei performed I declare that what l claim is 1. ln a towel rack, a.casing, a stud shaft journaled at one side in the casing, a tongue on the inner end of the stud shaft, a towel supply roller provided with a closed end groove in one end into which projects said tongue, a journal on the other end ot said roller, and an open bearing on the other side of said casing which receives said journal.

2. A towel rack including a casing, a towel roller journaled in said casing, the 'front wall of the casing being provided with a slot, a roller mounted on the casing in Viront of the said slot over which the towel passes, a frame hinged to the front wall of the casing, a roller journaled in the lower part of the frame, a take-up roller journaled on said casing, a spring pressure roller mounted above and rearwardly oi' said take-up roller, the towel passing from the towel roller through the slot, over the seeond and third mentioned rollers, back through the slot into the casing and between the pressure roller and take up roller, and means for rotating the said take-up roller at a greater speed than the towel roller.

3. i towel rack including a casing, a towel supply roller jo-urnaled in said casing, the front wall of the casing being provided with a slot through which the towel passes, a roller mounted on the casing in front ot said slot over which the towel passes, a take-up roller journaled in said casing, a spring pressure means above and rearward of said take-up roller between which means and said take-up roller the towel passes, means on the outside of thecasing whereby said toweling is tensioned so that a sul'istantial length of the towel will be presented to `view and means whereby the said take-up roller is driven by said supply roller at a faster speed than said supply roller.

4. A towel rack including a casing, a towel roller journaled in said casing, the front wall of said easing beine' provided with slot through which the towel may Vpass from said towel roller, means on the outside of the easing by which the toweling is tensioned whereby a substantial length of the towel will be presented to view, means for guiding the towel from said slot into position for use, a take-up roller actuated by said towel roller, and friction means enga g ing the towel on said take-up roller.

5. A towel rack including a casing, a towel supply roller journaled in said casing, a frame on the front of the 'casing carry-ing a roller over "which the "towel is 'tr'a'i'i'ie'h take-up means for the used part of the towel, and gearing between said towel supply roller and take-up means whereby said take-up means will operate faster than said towel is unwound, said take-up means being constructed and arranged to permit the towel to slip therein, whereby the towel is yieldingly held in a fairly taut condition over the roller in the frame.

6. A towel rack including a casing, a towel. supply roller journaled in said casing, the front wall of the casing being provided with a slot through which the towel passes, a roller mounted on the casing in front of said slot over which the towel passes, a frame mounted on the front wall of said casing below saidslot and said roller, said frame including side vertical, walls the rear edges of which restagainst the front casing wall and aplate secured to the forward edges of said side walls, a roller journaled on the lower part of said frame below the lower edge of said plate, take up means in said casing, the towel extending downwardly from the roller in front of said slot, forwardly over said plate, then over the roller in the lower part of said frame, then upwardly through said frame and said. slot into the casing and through said take-up means.

7. A towel rack including a casing, a towel supply roller journaled in said casing, the front wall of the casing being provided with a slot through which the towel passes, a roller mounted on the casing in front of said slot over which Athe towel passes, a frame mounted on the front wall of said casing below said slot and said roller, said 'frame including side vertical walls the rear edges, of which rest against the front casing' wall and a plate secured to the forward edges of -said side walls, a roller journaled on the lower part of said frame below the lower edge oi said plate,A take up means in said casing, the towel extending downwardly from the roller in front of said slot, for wardly over said plate, then over the roller in the lower part of said frame, then upwardly through said iframe and said slot into the casing and through said take-up means, and a lock mounted in said frame for engaging the towel to prevent its used portion from being drawn backwardly out of the casing. i

8. A towel rack including a casing, a towel supply roller journaled in said casing, the front wall of the casing being provided with a slot through which the towel passes,

a roller mounted on the casing in front of said slot over which the towel passes, a frame hinged at one side on the front wall of said casing below said slot and said roller, a lock for holding the other side of said frame against the front wall of the casing, said frame including side vertical walls the rear edges of which rest against the front casing wall and a plate secured to the forward edges of said side walls, a roller journaled on the lower part of said frame below the lower edge of said plate, take up means in said casing, the towel extending Idown,- wardly from the roller in front of said slot, forwardly over said plate, then o-ver the roller in the lower part of said frame, then upwardly through said frame and said slot intorthe casing and through said take-upV means.

9. A towel rack including a casing, a towel supply roller journaled in said casing, the front wall orp the casingjbeing Vprovided with a slot through which the towel passes, a roller mounted on said casing in front of said slot over which the towel passes, a roller on the lower part of the front wall ot said casing a substantial distance from said slot over which said towel passes from said latter roller to provide a substantial'. length of towel exposed to view take-up means in the casing through which the towel passes from said latter roller adapted to tension said towel vbetween said supply roller and said latter roller, and a lock for allowing thel used portionof Jdie towel to be taken up by said take-upimeans but to prevent the used portion of the towel from being drawn out of the casing. Y

In testimony7 whereof I affix my signature.

JOSEPH N. BORROUGHS. 

